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1989
This is a list of various things that took place in 1989. Significant events Unknown date :*Central States Wrestling ceases operations No dates :* Telecasts of the WWF's monthly cards from the Philadelpia Spectrum (via PRISM) and Boston Garden (via the New England Sports Network (NESN)) end in February and May, respectively, leaving the Madison Square Garden (MSG) Network as the lone network to broadcast monthly arena shows, all from venues in the New York-New Jersey area, most notably Madison Square Garden. February :*Atlantic Coast Wrestling, a North Carolina-based promotion owned by former NWA star Nelson Royal which promoted in the former Jim Crockett Promotions territory, holds its first event, a TV taping in Hildebran, North Carolina. In one of the matches from that taping, Royal retains his NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship (although it is not promoted on-air as an NWA title) despite losing by disqualification to Jimmy Garvin :* 3 - The tipping point of a slowly building storyline involving Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage comes on a live broadcast of WWF The Main Event on NBC when Savage, the WWF Heavyweight Champion, walks out on Hogan during a tag team match against The Twin Towers (Big Bossman and Akeem). During the match, Miss Elizabeth had been knocked unconscious and Hogan took Elizabeth backstage to get medical attention, leaving Savage to take an extended beating from the heels; following the match, an irate Savage accuses Hogan of "lusting" after Elizabeth and not allowing Savage to, per privilege as WWF Heavyweight Champion, be the top draw in the WWF, before Savage attacks Hogan and leaves the arena. The series of events leads to one of the year's top feuds and, their first match at WrestleMania V, one of the year's top matches. Savage's heel turn marks only the second time that a wrestler will make an allegiance turn while holding a major WWF championship; the last came 9-1/2 years earlier, in December 1979, when Pat Patterson refused to a deal, arranged by The Grand Wizard, to be managed by Captain Lou Albano May :*7 - After defeating Rick Steamboat at the WrestleWar PPV to regain the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, Ric Flair is attacked by Terry Funk, one of three judges for the match in the event of a time-limit draw, when Flair, who cites Funk's lengthy absence from the sport to act in Hollywood, turns down the former NWA World Champion's request for a title shot. The attack culminates with Funk piledriving Flair through the judges' table, which sidelines Flair with a injured neck for more than two months and results in Flair turning face :*28 - Jake Roberts is put out of action for nearly four months after undergoing surgery to remove a ruptured disc from his neck June :*2 - No Holds Barred, a wrestling movie starring Hulk Hogan, opens nationwide to mixed-to-negative reviews. Hogan's co-star, Tom Lister, Jr. would soon begin making appearances at WWF events in his movie character as Zeus (an unbeatable monster heel), challenging Hogan to a real-life confrontation and alleging that Hogan had undeserved top billing. This led to a series of matches between Hogan and Zeus, always with either Randy Savage or Ted DiBiase as Zeus' tag team partners and Brutus Beefcake (whom was feuding individually with Savage) being involved with Hogan :*5 - The inaugural edition of All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling's Wrestlemarinepiad supercard takes place at the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan, featuring AJW stars taking on visiting American female wrestlers. In one of the highlighted bouts, the team of the Honey Wings (Kaoru Maeda and Mika Takahashi) defeat Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling stars Tiffany Mellon and Tulsa, while in a six-woman match, the American team of Leilani Kai, the Powerful Women of Wrestling's Queen Kong (erroneously billed as GLOW star Big Bad Mama) and GLOW's Beastie defeat AJW's Reibun Amada, Suzuka Minami and Yumiko Hotta. The main event had WWWA World Champion Lioness Asuka successfully retain her title against the American Wrestling Association's Madusa Miceli, with former AWA World Champion Nick Bockwinkel as the guest referee :*25 - Greg Wojciechowski defeats boxer Leon Spinks in a boxer vs. wrestler bout in Toledo, Ohio July :*2 - Vancouver-based All-Star Wrestling holds its final event in Elk Grove, British Columbia and ceases operations shortly after :*4 - Davey Boy Smith, Chris Benoit and Jason the Terrible are all injured in a car accident near Jasper, Alberta. Smith is thrown through the windshield of the wrestlers' car and suffers a cracked vertebra in his back and a head gash requiring 100 stitches, while Benoit injures his right knee and Jason's left leg is fractured in two places :*23 - In his return to action following his neck injury at the hands of Terry Funk, Ric Flair defeats Funk to retain his NWA World title at the Great American Bash in Baltimore, Maryland. On the undercard, Lex Luger retains his NWA United States Heavyweight Championship via DQ over Rick Steamboat, Sting retains his NWA World Television Championship against The Great Muta, and the Road Warriors, the Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane) and Steve Williams defeat the Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy and Jimmy Garvin) and the Samoan Swat Team (Samu and Fatu) in a WarGames match August :*4 - Eric Embry defeats Phil Hickerson in a steel cage match at the Sportatorium in Dallas, Texas. As a result of Embry's win, World Class Championship Wrestling became the United States Wrestling Association. Had Hickerson won, Skandor Akbar and Tojo Yamamoto (who Hickerson represented) would have taken control of WCCW :*11 - Art Barr, who competed in Pacific Northwest Wrestling at the time as Beetlejuice, is arrested by police in Eugene, Oregon on a charge of rape following allegations by a female fan, who claimed that Barr had raped her on July 16 in that city :*28 - The first edition of the Pro Wrestling Illustrated Weekly newsletter, with a cover date of September 11, is printed October :*7 – Invader III suffers two broken ribs and punctured lungs (causing him to cough up blood) when Manny Fernandez shoots on III and delivers three stiff top-rope knee drops in their match at the WWC 16th Anniversary show in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Fernandez claimed this incident as payback for the murder of his friend, Bruiser Brody, during a locker room dispute between Brody and III's tag team partner (and Brody's accused killer), Jose Gonzales (who competed in the WWC as Invader I), on July 17, 1988 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bF0GkIYqfrE November :*28 - Tommy Young, a longtime referee with Jim Crockett Promotions, suffers career-ending back and neck injuries in Atlanta, Georgia while refereeing a match between Tommy Rich and Mike Rotunda :*29 - Akira Maeda's revived Japanese UWF promotion sells out the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo by drawing 60,000 fans for an event, which sees Maeda defeat Willie Wilhelm in the main event December :*Stampede Wrestling ceases operations :*Continental Championship Wrestling ceases operations :*Atlantic Coast Wrestling ceases operations following the retirement of owner Nelson Royal :*The Continental Wrestling Association formally merges into the USWA and drops the CWA name as the combined company promotes events in both Tennessee (the former CWA's home state) and Texas (the USWA's original home base) :*18 - The Ladies Professional Wrestling Association holds its debut TV taping in Laughlin, Nevada. In one of the featured matches, LPWA Champion Susan Sexton (who was awarded the title upon the promotion's startup) retains her title via pinfall over Heidi Lee Morgan Births Unknown Dates :*Chase Owens :*Samuel Elias January :*13 - Dany Rock February :*El Hijo de Rey Misterio March :*26 - Tab Jackson April :*16 - Mia Yim May :*20 - Robert Dreissker June :*23 - Billie Kay :*26 - Leah Owens :*26 - Kasey Owens :*30 - Su Yung July :*3 - Joey Janela :*5 - Adam Cole :*21 - Brad Slayer August :*16 - Justin Sane :*24 - Tatevik The Gamer :*28 - Christina Von Eerie September :*20 - Ethan Page :*26 - Makoto October :*10 - Riddick Moss :*20 - Jessica Love November :*3 - Andrade Almas December :*12 - Roxanne Steele Deaths February :*18 - Mildred Burke 73 March :*7 – Paul Boesch 76 (Natural causes) April :*17 - Villano II 39 (Suicide) September :*7 – Edouardo Perez 61 December :*7 – Haystacks Calhoun 55 (Diabetes) Debuts March :*1 - Booker Huffman April :*30 – Rey Mysterio September :*19 – Yoshihiro Tajiri December :*1 – Hikari Fukuoka Events February :*3 – WWF The Main Event II (Televised event) :*15 – NWA Clash Of The Champions #5 - "St. Valentine's Day Massacre" (Televised event) :*23 – WWF The Main Event III (Televised event) April :*2 – NWA Clash Of The Champions #6 - "Ragin' Cajun" (Televised event) June :*14 – NWA Clash Of The Champions #7 - "Guts And Glory" (Televised event) :*23 – AWA War In The Windy City September :*12 – NWA Clash Of The Champions #8 - "Fall Brawl" (Televised event) October :*1 – AWA World Tag Team Title Tournament (Televised event) :*7 – WWC Anniversary Show :*10 – WWF on Sky One (Televised event) :*14 – WWF King Of The Ring November :*15 – NWA Clash Of The Champions #9 - "New York Knock Out" (Televised event) December :*12 – FMW Battle Creation Pay-Per-View events January :*15 – WWF Royal Rumble February :*20 – NWA Chi-Town Rumble April :*2 – WWF WrestleMania V - "The Megapowers Explode" May :*7 – NWA WrestleWar - "Music City Showdown" July :*23 – NWA The Great American Bash - "Glory Days" August :*28 – WWF SummerSlam October :*28 – NWA Halloween Havoc November :*23 – WWF Survivor Series December :*12 – WWF No Holds Barred - The Movie / The Match (aired December 27) :*13 – NWA Starrcade - "Future Shock / Night Of The Iron Men" Title changes January :*20 – The AWA World Heavyweight Championship, last held by Jerry Lawler, is vacated when Lawler's Continental Wrestling Association splits from the American Wrestling Association (AWA) :*28 - The Grappler wins the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship from Top Gun in Portland, Oregon February :*7 – Larry Zbyszko wins the vacant AWA World title in a battle royal in Saint Paul, Minnesota, last eliminating Tom Zenk :*20 – Rick Steamboat wins the NWA World Heavyweight Championship from Ric Flair at the Chi-Town Rumble PPV in Chicago, Illinois; Lex Luger wins the NWA United States Heavyweight Championship from Barry Windham at Chi-Town Rumble; Mike Rotunda wins the NWA World Television Championship from Rick Steiner at Chi-Town Rumble March :*14 - Tommy Angel wins a tournament final over member The MOD Squad Spike in Concord, North Carolina to become the first Atlantic Coast Wrestling Television Champion :*24 - Davey Boy Smith wins the Stampede North American Heavyweight Championship from Don Muraco in Calgary, Alberta :*25 – The Olympians (Ken Patera & Brad Rheingans) win the AWA World Tag Team Championship from Badd Company (Paul Diamond & Pat Tanaka) in Rochester, Minnesota :*31 – Sting wins the NWA World TV title from Mike Rotunda in Atlanta, Georgia; MOD Squad Spike and The D.I. (subbing for MOD Squad Basher) become the first ACW Tag Team Champions by winning a tournament final over Tommy Angel and Rikki Nelson at an ACW TV taping in Concord, North Carolina April :*1 - Carl Styles wins the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship from The Grappler in Portland :*2 - Hulk Hogan wins the WWF Heavyweight Championship from Randy Savage at WrestleMania V in Atlantic City, New Jersey; Rick Rude wins the WWF Intercontinental Championship from The Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania V :*15 - The Grappler regains the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Carl Styles in Portland :*22 - Carl Styles regains the NWA Pacific Northwest title from The Grappler in Portland :*28 - Larry Cameron wins the Stampede North American title from Davey Boy Smith in Calgary May :*7 – Ric Flair regains the NWA World title from Rick Steamboat at the WrestleWar PPV in Nashville, Tennessee; Michael Hayes wins the NWA United States title from Lex Luger at WrestleWar; the Varsity Club (Mike Rotunda & Steve Williams) are stripped of the NWA World Tag Team Championship at WrestleWar due to misconduct during their title defence against The Road Warriors :*22 – Lex Luger regains the NWA United States title from Michael Hayes in Bluefield, West Virginia June :*The NWA Pacific Northwest title is vacated when previous champion Carl Styles is injured :*14 – The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes & Jimmy Garvin) win the vacant NWA World Tag Team Championship in a tournament final over The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane) at Clash of the Champions VII in Fort Bragg, North Carolina July :*18 - The Brain Busters (Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard) win the WWF World Tag Team Championship from Demolition (Ax & Smash) in Worcester, Massachusetts :*23 – The NWA World TV title is vacated following a controversial ending to the Sting-Great Muta title match at The Great American Bash in Baltimore, Maryland August :*28 - The Ultimate Warrior regains the WWF Intercontinental title from Rick Rude at SummerSlam 1989 in East Rutherford, New Jersey September :*2 - Scotty the Body wins the vacant NWA Pacific Northwest title in a tournament final over Carl Styles in Portland :*3 – The Great Muta wins the vacant NWA World TV title in a rematch over Sting in Atlanta :*18 – The AWA World Tag Team title is vacated due to Ken Patera suffering an injury October :* The AWA International Television Championship, last held by Greg Gagne, is vacated and abandoned when Gagne retires from active competition :*1 – The Destruction Crew (Wayne Bloom & Mike Enos) win the vacant AWA World Tag Team title in a tournament final over Paul Diamond and Greg Gagne in Rochester :*2 - Demolition regain the WWF Tag Team title from the Brainbusters in Wheeling, West Virginia :*7 - Rex King wins the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Scotty the Body in Portland :*14 - Scotty the Body regains the NWA Pacific Northwest title from Rex King in Portland November :*1 – Rick & Scott Steiner win the NWA World Tag Team title from the Fabulous Freebirds in Atlanta (this was at a World Championship Wrestling taping which aired on November 18) December :*The AWA World Women's Championship, last held by Wendi Richter, is vacated when Richter leaves the AWA :*The Stampede North American title, last held by Larry Cameron, is retired when Stampede Wrestling closes :*The NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship, last held by Nelson Royal, is vacated and retired following Royal's retirement :*6 - Candi Devine wins the vacant AWA World Women's title by defeating Judy Martin in Toronto, Ontario :*13 - The Colossal Connection (André the Giant & Haku) win the WWF Tag Team title from Demolition in Huntsville, Alabama See also Category:Wrestling Years